Hall of Fame

Phoenix announce six player departures

The post-season clean-out at Wellington Phoenix continues with six players set to depart the New Zealand club.

Nathan Burns, who won the 2014/15 Johnny Warren Medal with the Phoenix, headlines the list of outgoing players leaving at the end of their contracts, which expire at the end of the week.

After a stint in the J-League with FC Tokyo and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Burns returned to the Kiwi outfit in 2017/18 but recurring injuries made it difficult for the 31-year-old to recover the form that fired Wellington into an Elimination Final four seasons ago.

Their exits follow the departures of attacker Max Burgess, who impressed for Wellington after signing from NPL NSW club Sydney Olympic, and Filip Kurto after the Polish goalkeeper confirmed his signature with Western United.

Outgoing boss Mark Rudan, who guided Phoenix to an impressive sixth-place finish in 2018/19, has been strongly linked with the vacant head coach role at the Hyundai A-League’s newest franchise.

“We want to thank all these players for their time here in Wellington,” said Phoenix Operations Manager Shaun Gill.